A Common Ground for Action: The Founder's Vision

Emotionally charged rhetoric and divisive debate have too often distracted both the pro-life and pro-choice political movements from the mother and child at the heart of this crisis.

The Nurturing Network’s practical approach to this politically divisive issue is an ongoing reminder that it is not only possible but necessary to build constructive coalitions among people of widely divergent views.

For more than three decades, the Nurturing Network provided lasting evidence that there exists a vast common ground between these two allegedly incompatible groups.

As TNN’s Founder stated 30 years ago in writing the Member brochure, “Those who support ‘choice’ can hardly dispute the value of creating another choice; those who support ‘life’ can hardly reject an alternative made real.” How very true!

In a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, TNN worked daily to bind up the wounds of suspicion and harsh judgment that have torn at the fabric of our society.

The Nurturing Network has enjoyed broad-based support because its leadership deliberately avoided labels that would suggest a narrower mold. Whether those labels were religious, feminist, ethnic, or any other, TNN’s President and Founder believed that they restricted rather than expanded thinking and did nothing to actually assist a woman in crisis.

Even today, there are many people of conscience and compassion who are on the fence, confused and even misinformed about this issue and how it impacts women’s rights. The Nurturing Network’s historic tone and substance has offered a creative prototype of how a divisive issue can be approached in a healing and constructive way.

The Nurturing Network has often been referred to as a “beacon of hope” and a “demilitarized zone in America’s cultural civil war” in forums ranging from the CBS 48 Hours to Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.

TNN’s Founder has demonstrated that when we communicate respectfully on pivotal societal issues, progress in achieving the broader goal of peace in our families, our businesses and our institutions can be achieved.

“Those who support ‘choice’ can hardly dispute the value of creating another choice; those who support ‘life’ can hardly reject an alternative made real."

~Mary Cunningham Agee

There are many people of conscience and compassion who are on the fence, confused and even misinformed about this issue and how it impacts women’s rights. The Nurturing Network’s tone and substance offer a prototype of how a divisive issue can be approached in a healing and constructive way. TNN responds with flexibility and creativity to ensure that no woman feels forced to choose a more desperate alternative.

“The Nurturing Network is cross-cultural and non-denominational. This is a Network for any woman who becomes pregnant regardless of her religious or ethnic background. It’s a visionary way of approaching a serious problem in our culture—to disarm the adamant pros and cons about abortion.”